Graeme Cremer is back in a World Cup squad, seven years after he last played the format. The 39-year-old leg-spinner has been included in Zimbabwe’s 15 for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, announced on Wednesday evening.
Coach Dave Houghton went straight to the point. “We needed a bit of know-how, especially on slow surfaces, and Graeme still offers that,” he said via Zoom. It is the second recall for Cremer, who briefly featured in October’s tri-series in Pakistan and took 2 for 44 across two outings.
The other headline is the return of Blessing Muzarabani. A back problem ruled him out of that Pakistan trip, yet the tall seamer has been cleared after three weeks at the High-Performance Centre in Harare. “The back feels fine. I’ve bowled 30-odd overs in the nets without pain,” Muzarabani told local radio.
Left-armer Newman Nyamhuri makes way, the only player from the Pakistan series to miss the plane. That leaves Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava in charge of the pace department, with Brad Evans offering back-up.
Sikandar Raza will captain, and the all-rounder sounded upbeat. “We’ve had good chats about roles. It’s a simple plan: win moments, stay calm,” he said, echoing his remarks after the Africa qualifier last month. Raza is joined by veteran wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor, whose return earlier in 2025 produced 251 T20I runs at a strike-rate of 144. Only one of those knocks — the 123 against Botswana — looked vintage, but the selectors have opted for experience over another rookie.
Clive Madande keeps the gloves in the squad after topping Zimbabwe’s domestic T20 charts — 152 runs at an average of 76 and a strike-rate north of 138. Off-spinning all-rounder Tony Munyonga and left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza add variety to the middle overs alongside Cremer.
Zimbabwe sit in Group B with Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Oman. All four group matches are in Sri Lanka, starting on 9 February against Oman in Kandy.
Squad: Sikandar Raza (capt), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Brad Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor.
Zimbabwe have not reached the knockout stage of a men’s ICC event since 1999. This squad, built on experienced heads and a handful of fearless hitters, will try to change that statistic without fuss — or, in Raza’s words, “by doing the small things properly.”
